Exhausted Bug
by Prophe-Cass
Summary: It's been days since Ladybug has gotten a proper night's rest. She can't allow herself to rest, to let down her guard. After all, she was Guardian now, and vigilance came with the territory of being Paris' number one heroine. Maybe, just maybe, she needs help from a certain Black Cat.


**This is inspired by a whole lot of different works, and I just figured I'd give it my own spin. So…exhausted Ladybug. With Ladynoir. So here we go!**

**(:)**

Ladybug rubbed her eyes for the third time in as many minutes, forcing back a yawn. She blinked sleepily about her, staring around the city only illuminated by the city lights that came on during the night.

Chat Noir had left several minutes before with little explanation, just a quick 'I'll be right back' then had disappeared into the night. She decided to wait for him, thought standing still didn't help with her predicament, and running around the surrounding buildings would do little other than tire her out more.

Standing still at least sort of helped her reserve energy, so that's what she decided to do.

She leaned against a chimney, pressing her back tightly against it. The metal surface dug into her back, uncomfortable, but kept her attention sharp. She sighed, slipping down the area until she was sitting against it, legs drawn up to her chest. She took a deep breath, summoning as much strength from the surrounding air as she could. The pure, cold oxygen felt good in her lungs, almost like healing her.

Another deep breath, another healing inhale. Five seconds in, five seconds out. Ladybug counted out each breath, feeling her eyes drift shut. The freezing metal behind her kept her grounded in the conscious realm, but her exhaustion threatened to thrust her into a tight sleep.

She couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep; it was her duty as Guardian, as Heroine of Paris, to keep a wide eye open at all times. To ensure Paris remained safe, make sure nothing horrible happened that she had been able to prevent.

Dragon Bug had become a steady presence in the city of Paris; the extra energy bestowed upon her form the double Miraculous fueling her, kept her going. Besides, the bonus powers had become a great help in the Akumas that were steadily growing more powerful. Bigger, better, more threatening. They drained Tikki and her own energy much too quickly, and was beginning to leech from Longg, too. Perhaps she should add a third Miraculous to the mix…it couldn't possibly hurt, right?

…right. It wouldn't.

Couldn't.

She could make it through it.

She had to; after all, she was Lady…. She was Dragon Bug.

She'd survive.

Somehow.

A tiny thud came from beside her, and she forced her eyes open, ignoring how much they wanted to remain glued shut. Turning her attention to the side, she found Chat Noir smiling down at her, top of the mask – which replaced the eyebrows – knit together in worry.

"You okay?" He inquired gently, tipping a duo of on-the-go Coffee cups, the white plastic much more appealing to Ladybug then any sane, healthy person. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"Wasn't even sleepy." Ladybug lied, reaching for one eagerly. "Was meditating." She knew it was wrong, not to feel even a tinge of guilt for deceiving her best friend, but it just came so easily! Her voice didn't even waver. "It's essential for every Guardian."

Not a flicker of doubt crossed over Chat Noir's face as he nodded obediently, holding up the cups. "Well, I come bearing gifts! Do you want one, even though you're not tired?"

"Coffee is essential for Guardians, too." Ladybug insisted, swallowing back a yawn. "Meditation and Coffee make a good combo."

Sweet, oblivious Chat Noir, as innocent and pure as ever, inspected the labels on either cup, handing her the one on the left. "Half milk, half herbal, with three cubes of sugar, and, of course, with a touch of whipped cream and cinnamon, completed with a dab of mocha. Order up for a complicated cup of coffee!"

"I still don't understand how you remember all of that!" Ladybug grinned, taking the offered cup as she forced back all symptoms of exhaustion. Chat was, unfortunately, easy to decisive, yet he was still the most kind, thoughtful person she knew. She really didn't deserve him.

"It, dear Bug, is a gift." He returned, taking his double-expresso that lacked any extra sweetness into hand and taking a deep inhale. "A gift given only to the most cunning of cats."

She didn't grace that with a response. Ladybug chugged down the cup as well as she could, very disappointed when she noted that it tasted much different than usual, not having as strong of a taste. She could only guess this was because her taste buds had fallen asleep and were dropping off, as foolish as that may sound.

"Thank you, Chat." Ladybug said, wiping off the coffee remains that coated her lips. "That was good." Another lie that was just too easy to say.

Chat Noir didn't take any notice, slipping down beside her, one arm wrapping around her shoulders protectively. She leaned into his embrace, humming in contentment as he purred in return.

"Ladybug, you know I'll always be here for you, right?" Chat Noir inquired quietly between purrs. "I know being the Guardian is pretty stressful, and with all the other heroes being… discontinued. But I'm going to stick with you through it all."

"I know." She said, almost without thinking. Because, of course, she was already aware of it and didn't need to be told. "Thank you, Chat."

"Of course. I'll do anything you need me to do." He promised, wrapping her up in a hug. "I am forever and indefinitely in your service, Ladybug."

She nodded against his leather, hair rustling quietly. "What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful knight?" She whispered, looking up at him and cupping his cheek. "My Knight Noir."

He purred gently at that, dragging her completely into his lap so that he could curl protectively around her lithe figure. "It's the other way around, Ladybug. I don't deserve you."

"Mmm…" Ladybug forgot to hide her yawn, though her partner's face remained neutral. She briefly wondered if he was actually that oblivious or was just incredibly good at acting. "We need to…get back to… patrol…"

"Just a few minutes more." He coaxed, closing his glowing eyes. Ladybug, no longer having the handy source of light, resolved to do the same, finding no reason to keep her eyes open.

Closing her eyes for a moment or two never hurt anyone, right? Besides, when it was time to get moving, Chat Noir would let her know, right?

Right.

(:)

When Ladybug's eyes finally flickered open, the sky was turning orange. Vibrations rattled her body gently, a hand running through her hair and smoothing out all the knots. Slowly, she noticed that her hair no longer in her signature pigtails.

It took her too long for her to realize that she was bunched up and just a little stiff, an arm wrapped protectively around her.

It took her too long to realize that she was still held in Chat Noir's arms, dragged into his lap as he purred, brushing her hair gently.

It took her too long to realize that she had fallen asleep.

Her body jolted in shock at the revelation, and she tried to tumble away from him, kicking as if he was stuck by Dark Cupid once again.

He opened his arms, releasing her, but didn't allow her to tumble to the ground, helping her to roll onto the roof gracefully.

She drew herself to her feet using his offered hand, standing rigid as she stared up at him, furious at the height difference. He stiffly handed back her ribbons. "Why didn't you wake me up?!" She demanded, leaning up as far as she could to give him the stink eye as she gathered her hair together to tie her first pigtail. "We were supposed to finish patrol!"

Chat Noir didn't even look the slightest bit guilty or troubled. "No, you were supposed to get some sleep! How are you supposed to be everything you want to be, if you don't rest for even one minute?"

"It's not who I want to be!" Ladybug seethed, tying off her second ponytail. "It's who I need to be! I thought you knew that!"

"You only need to be half of what you force yourself to be." Chat Noir insisted, expression calm. "I can carry the second half."

"I didn't see Master Fu giving you Guardianship!" Ladybug sniffed, jabbing a finger angrily into his chest. "I do need to be it all! I have no choice! And you dared keep my from my duties!"

"I never used to be able to trick you." Chat Noir said suddenly, voice finally gaining some emotion. That emotion was sorrow.

"Trick me?" Ladybug demanded to know, eyes narrowing.

"That wasn't coffee. That was tea." Chat Noir admitted gently, a slight wince tugging at his eye. "I've never, never been able to make you fall asleep. But you were just so tired, so weighed down, that I was able to manage it, and it just… it hurts. You're so different now. You've been slipping. Messing up. Dragon Bug isn't better than Ladybug. She's just another burden on your head."

Ladybug's shoulders hunched, and she looked away. "Dragon Bug helps me. Helps me have energy."

"So, what were you going to do? Use it until you got extremely tired again? Then add another Miraculous? Just keep adding a new Miraculous whenever your energy gets used up? Until finally you're demanding my Miraculous to keep going? Until it's not about being exhausted anymore, but about having power?"

She flinched, shaking her head. "I-I would never, Chat, and you know that, too! I can resist it, I swear, and-"

"No." He insisted. "There'll be no more Dragon Bug. Kwamis, there will be no Ladybug unless if you get your act together!"

"Wha- you can't do that!" Ladybug exploded, furious. She had never seen Chat Noir ever, ever defy her. Not so openly at least. He was so caring and soothing, that the fact that he had even said a word against her was surprising. "You don't have a right to-"

"I can do that." Chat Noir said with an easy shrug. "Maybe not alone, but I'm sure Tikki is also opposed to you over extending yourself. I know for certain that Plagg is sick of it, too; he's mentioned it before, and he rarely shows any amount of concern. Between myself, Tikki, and Plagg, I'm fairly certain we can make Mister Bug be reborn."

"As if." Ladybug huffed. "You couldn't even figure out how to use your Lucky Charm alone! I highly doubt that you could be-"

"I'd still have you as Lady Noire." Chat Noir simply stated. "I've been reading a lot of books to allow me to figure it all out, and Tikki and Path can both help and prepare me. I could actually learn how do it properly so that I'm not caught by surprise. I could be better."

Ladybug's mouth opened and closed, but she really had no idea what to say to that. She was very tempted to agree, and, by Noir's smile, he knew it, too. "I just…Chat… I can't…" She shook her head, covering her ears in a feeble effort to silence her own inner turmoil.

"M'lady, you know that this is for the best." He said quietly, sighing as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulling her left hand away from her ear. "You need rest. If you want me to, I can stay up for as long as you need me to. I can be up for days, even."

"I…I don't know, Chat, it's…" She hesitated, burying her head into his shoulder. "It's not…It's my job to be the Guardian, to be Ladybug! I'm supposed to be the one who protects Paris, and I-I can't let you do that! I can't risk you getting hurt! I can't allow you to use duel Miraculous, or-or-"

"Oh, goodness, no!" Chat Noir cried in absolute horror, jerking away. "I am never using two or more Miraculous at the same time ever again! When I was…" he hesitated, inhaling sharply. "…Snake Noir, I couldn't stop thinking about the…the power that…"

"Don't say it!" Ladybug begged, taking several steps back in terror. "Don't admit that you did! Please!"

"Ladybug. I know you have a strong will, but soon, it's not going to be enough. I _know that eventually, you'll crack. You'll crave the power. It'll be an addiction, and I won't be able to save you_!"

"Stop saying stuff like that!" Ladybug pleaded, snarling at him half-heartedly, taking a step back. "I can handle myself; I don't need you to…to protect me! I don't need-"

"Then stop doing stupid things! Stop hurting yourself!" Chat Noir screeched in wrath, pulling at his hair in a fashion that was actually quite similar to what Ladybug commonly did. "I'm sick of watching you crumple under the burden of all your responsibilities! I just want you to finally be happy again!"

"I can't have that luxury." She whispered, sinking into herself and hoping he would just stop yelling. Is this what she sounded like whenever she was screamed at him? She hated it. "You know that, Chaton. I can't…feel anything. I'm not allowed to until Hawkmoth is defeated."

"Please." He insisted, voice dropping considerably. "You shouldn't have to hide your emotions, you shouldn't have to…please, let me make you happy. Or try, or…or…" He shrugged, pushing one hand over his eyes as if to cover the tears welling up in his eyes. "I-It makes me miserable to see you miserable, and I hate seeing you upset. If I take over, I just…" He hesitated, lowering his hand to stare at her for a moment. He reached out, hand trembling, and cupped her cheek, using his thumb to brush the corner of her mouth up slightly. "I want to see you smile, again, LB. Well, smile genuinely. Tell me what I can do to make that happen."

"I…" she paused, eyes glancing to the side uneasily. "I-I don't…"

"Let me help." Chat Noir begged quietly.

Ladybug contemplated it for a long moment, tilting her head to the side in thought_. It's three against one_. She realized with awe_. Chat's right. Tikki, Plagg, and Chat Noir are all opposed to me continuing with this, and…_ She groaned, tugging at both her ponytails in frustration. "I don't want to give up being Ladybug, Chat Noir!"

"It would only be for a week or two." Chat Noir assured.

"But that's a whole _week! OR TWO!_ If we did, you'd have to keep Tikki to make it more manageable and she's one of my main pillars of support, and-and-"

"Plagg can be quite supporting." At his words, Ladybug looked at Chat Noir incredulously. "Well, when he wants to be. Seriously, Plagg has helped me through all my teenage angst and my worst moments. He knows how to bring fun and joy into any situation."

"I'm not rich like some spoiled kitties." Ladybug whined. "I can't buy all the camembert he'll need."

"No problem. I can bring over all his stashes. Even the secret ones he has no idea I know about. I can buy more if it isn't enough. I could give you all the super-powered wheels, too, for emergencies."

"Hmm…" Ladybug sighed, leaning her head back to stare at the sky. Finally, she relented. "This is going to be an interesting week, isn't it?"

Chat Noir perked up immediately at her indirect acceptance, leaping at her and lifting her up by her waist, hugging her tightly as he spun her around and around. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Ladybug laughed softly, as she felt the wind whip her hair around her face. The scene just felt right. Her giddy partner excitedly carrying her about after she said yes, and…_oh. Shoot. That's why it felt so familiar. Because she had imagined this scenario so many different times. (With Adrien instead of Chat, though.)_

He put her down warmly, not noticing her suddenly frozen stature. "Okay, so, when should we switch?" He asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. She wondered how long he had been waiting for a redo of being Mister Bug.

"I-I mean…right now is fine." She said, giggling nervously as she curled a lock of hair between her fingers. "I-I suppose… I mean…"

Chat Noir gazed down at her warmly, eyes softening in understanding. "LB, I know this is going to be tough, but change is sometimes the best thing to happen. This'll be like a huge burden removed from your back, and you can finally kick back. I promise you; it's going to turn out wonderfully, okay? You and me against the world, yeah?"

"Yeah." Ladybug agreed, nodding. "Like always."

He held out his arms, and she dove into them quickly, burying her face into his leather.

"Ready?" He whispered.

"Ready." Ladybug confirmed, keeping her eyes firmly closed as both chanted the detransformation words. The magic spread across both their bodies simultaneously, unleashing their Kwamis. Chat Noir's bare left hand moved from hugging her to resting on her shoulder, waiting patiently for her to unclasp her earrings and press them into his palm. He returned the favor by passing her the ring and pressing it into the palm of her hand from where it lay squished between their shoulders.

"It's about time you two switched again!" Scolded a tiny masculine voice that Marinette immediately identified as Plagg's. "I've been sick of waiting."

"How you managed to convince her to switch; I have no idea." Tikki congratulated Chat Noir.

Chat Noir just laughed; careful not to respond because their voices, while not under the influence of the Miraculous, sounded too much like their civilian selves. (Apparently. They had never actually tested it.)

Marinette let out an irritated grunt, directed at all three of them.

Chat Noir only laughed harder at the noise, while Tikki apologized and Plagg ignored it.

Marinette shoved the band of onyx onto her ring finger, grunting out "Claws out" in a tone that would be untraceable back to herself. In an instant, instead of Marinette or even Ladybug, Lady Noire stood on the rooftop, standing in her partners arms.

A moment later, Chat Noir summoned the power of creation, donning a red suit with black spots. She opened her eyes and took in the unfamiliar sight before her; only once before had she beheld it.

"Your hair looks weird without kitty ears." Lady Noire crooned at Mister Bug, reaching up to scratch his hair's middle part.

"Blonde hair with red and black? They really don't match." Mister Bug laughed, eyeing his suit buoyantly. "It's strange to see spots on me instead of you, Noire."

"It's weird to not be wearing spots." Lady Noire huffed, admiring her hands. The sunrise's orange rays reflected off of the ring's emerald and onyx surface, and she couldn't help but wonder how much more it would scintillate if it had proper facets. "It feels…goth."

"Well, our suits reflect what we want deep down. You must want to be a goth, depressed, angsty teenager deep down." He teased, cocking his head at her playfully.

She glanced up at him, heart pumping faster as she stared up.

Really, just by insisting they switch Miraculous, he was taking a huge burden off her shoulders. She was no longer was Paris' main protector; their safety didn't just lay upon her. No, Mister Bug held that task, thus giving her plenty of free time to fulfill her Guardian Tasks and Quests. She bet that he would even replace her as Guardian in a second if she asked him to.

She still felt a bit mad and frustrated that he had tricked her to complete his motive, but, really, she wouldn't have been able to listen, nonetheless respond logically, if he hadn't. She had been a walking zombie for quite some time, after all. Chat Noir's - no, Mister Bug's - motives were pure and good, as he only did what was best for her. He knew what she needed, and he provided.

_Hmm…_ Lady Noire speculated, tilting her head mildly in thought. _Perhaps it is time 'Bug became a more…fixated partner in our dramatic duo. I believe it's high time I began to train him to be a Guardian. His help is needed; and it always will be._

**(:)**

**This will most likely be a Oneshot for now. If I get inspiration, I might add to it, but I think the ending is pretty good.**


End file.
